Field
Aspects of the present invention generally relate to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and an image processing system that perform detection processing for detecting a predetermined object from an image.
Description of the Related Art
In the field of monitoring camera systems, there is a technique for detecting an object matching a predetermined condition from an image by using image analysis technology. In detecting a specific object such as a human body and a face from an image, a collation pattern (dictionary) storing features of the target object is used to detect an object matching the collation pattern from an area to be detected in the image.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-211311 discusses such an image processing apparatus. This technique includes reducing image data by a predetermined scaling factor, cropping a pattern to be collated from the reduced image data, and performing analysis processing thereof. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-211311, the reduction processing is applied with different scaling factors in succession, followed by the analysis processing. In such a manner, human bodies of various sizes can be detected.
Detection functions such as human body detection and face detection have specifications defining a minimum size and a maximum size at which an object can be detected. A human body or face that appears on an image in a size outside the detectable range is either not able to be detected or, if detected, the detection accuracy is unguaranteed.
Settings of various related parameters, such as a detection function execution on/off settings and a setting of an area to be detected, are made by a user by using a setting tool. A detection result is notified to the user with a superimposition of a human body frame or a face frame on a display screen, or with a display of detection result metadata.
According to the foregoing conventional image processing apparatus, a result is clearly displayed if the analysis processing is performed and an object matching a predetermined condition, such as a human body and a face, is detected. However, no result is displayed if no object is detected. The user is therefore not able to easily check whether the detection functions are properly set and whether the detection functions are functioning properly. More specifically, the user is riot able to find out whether the reason for not detecting an object is that the detection functions are deactivated, or that the settings of the parameters related to the detection processing are not appropriate. As a result, the user is not able to perform an appropriate setting operation or parameter modification operation for obtaining a desired processing result.